The Thompson-Nicola Film Commission says 2021 is shaping up to be the best year of filming on record.

The film commission gave an update last week to board members who sit on the economic development and recreation committee. Barbara Roden, the chair of that committee, said as part of the briefing, board members were told there have been 161 filming days of 13 projects this year, after 79 filming days for 16 projects in 2020.

“Since the pandemic, a lot of these companies are B.C.-based films, some of them leaving the Lower Mainland because of the expenses. It’s much less expensive to film in Kamloops, for example, than it is to shut down a street in Vancouver, if you need to do that for your film,” Roden says.

“Another big spinoff from these B.C. productions is that many of them are willing to hire locals and to train on the job, which is building up our pool of available, experienced talent for other film companies.”

And Roden says in the past two years, film companies have spent almost $9 million in the Thompson Nicola region, as well as additional spending by cast and crew members.